Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-10-22
The Power of the Press.
Ky John \. Spring.

|
 the different governments. 4 Eystem Of
 preventive rules were established with |
 the object of expressing such matter as
 in the opinion or the ruling powers
 might endanger the exisieDce or the l
 rights of mouarchs or poIson the mind 1
 of the people in regard to their religious
 belief. Pope Alexander VI vas She first |
 to issue sn order. ths, under pam of ex-
 communication no book shodld be l
 printed or issued which had not been
 first submitted % the examination by
 an expressly appointed board of bishops. ]
 This example WAS soon followed by all
 the potentates of Europe who establish
 cd in their respective countries the s-- called boards of "Censur," without
 whose permission 1t was dangerous, 1T
 not quite impossible. to prin: any book
 or paper. The severest kind Of restElc-
 ton existed in England lIil l69i. The
 Star Chamber. en inyeBtion of he0ES 1
 VIII, even prescribed by law the num-
 Der of printers and presses and created |
 the office of royal Ove:seeE, without
 whose sanction Do printed matter was
 allowed to see the light oi dEy. The l
 same expressive system was m vogue in France under the Bourbon dynasty and !
 was only overthTOgn by tho revelation 1
 of l79S. In fact II may be sand that i-c l
 countries of Europe enjoy She liberty oi | the press ouly since lSiS, and, m my 1
 opinion, that liberty Is yet n 8 great |
 measure fictitious. The United States, % thG contra |
 have from the very beginning of th=lr
 history adopted the unconditional hb- l
 erty of the press. The first amendment | to the constitution provides that 10 |
 congress shall issue law prohibiting O. | restricting the freedom of speech or l
 press. The abuse Of the press, however, 1 | IS punishable. like sll misdeIneanorF. by ! | fine and imprisonment m the discretion | | of the judge where She laws ot the Te- 1 spectlye stR.es do not inteTfer,. Ibis | | misdemeanor consists either in the iu- | | formation of privste parties or the goN- | ernment (in'amODe. originally famous | | libeD, in melting to reyolts, etc, (sedi- l tious iibe) or in other matter leading l towards obscenitY (Obscene llbel This untrammeled freedom oi the |
 press has produced in the United States | d newspaper literature of such extensive | | dimensions and power thG. but compar- stiyely few outside of its sphere have n | correct idea ot 1t. 1t would lead ne far | beyond the space allotted to 8 newsPa- 1 per article were l tO attempt even | superficial statistical sketch of the l | srowth of this cOuntry's newspaper | press. That most exhaustive work, l | The census of the United States ot loeO |
 contain everything that the interested l
 reader may desire tO learn m tAIs rs- l spect and be EIu find there not Only l | tabular statistics, but also the whole ]
 repubhc mapped out into countries ID i
 each of which be will fud the figures 1
 indicating the daily, tri-wseklyi weekly |
 and monthly periodicals Issued there | | A grand array II is, truly | Where such a number of mil ds keep !
 at work and are at fuil liberty to place |
 the result of their thoughts before the | | public, the consequence IS but EaturUl | | that tbe people of the United States are, | | as rule, the best informed lu iLe | | world. and nothing sstoIi-hes foreigner | more than the smount of CeEeral iu- | formation even the common Ansr.cGn | lsborer possesses. The newspapers edu- |
 cate Linn, If he cRn but read there x l
 nothing that need remain hidden to ] | him. The average farm hand Iu Call- 1 fornis, She factory girl in the New Eng 1 land States, the cowboy of the piains. | | the miner of ib0 territories, the negro | even of the south, all show iu giealeT |
 or less degree, that the nress of the I | United States does for them that which |
 may have been omitted during the early ] years of their existence when for some |
 reason or other school has been neglect | ed. and for those who have prCiiled by | | their early instruction, the newspapers |
 are an ever-lving servIce uf instruction. !
 information and amusement
 In the United States the reader of |
 newspapers Canis to know evsEs tblUs |
 and everything is brought tn hls kEovl- l edge; there exists no false shame. IT |
 any corruption has been Eiuied Gt ID
 any corporate body, be .t ever SO p3We!- ful. the American press sII To. lest ii,l |
 l. has discovered the inmost workings |
 of the corrupt body and TIlI UallslsI-
 fully expose them Co the public: Tho |
 Credit MobIlieT swindle, the crooked | 4oings of She Whisky ring. the el1E-
 nous Star Route sWInile. tte fraudulent maDipulatioUs of the Tweed ri-E. the dishonest practices of the Chicago CUod- lers aud the thousand other criminal |
 acts and misdemeanOEs have fret been |
 discovered by the press, publicly exDCs- | ed and thus been brought lU punish
 meni. It IS the swo1d ol Damucl.s COZ
 stsntly hanging over the public male factor!
 In political campaign @ mans neTs- paper Is, So certain extent, hls guid- ing star. He locks 70 It for an eXhsus- tive explanation of Eis pasiy's platform. for sp able and fair oTitizim of the opp3- | nents and, ,bt leEsi where iue mos; import | ant officers are in question. for ihe 8nteee-
 dents of the different candidates and Tor | s discussIon ot the probable results iu- cident to the election Of either.
 And how about the great questions !
 which bear directly upon the welfare oi
 the nation at large, and which are di.
 cussed in tbe White House and Cauiioi? 1 AgaIn 1t Is the press. winch after dii-
 igent research and observation. fG.iguing
 comparison of statistics. laborIous studs
 of history ard political economy, sets
 fcrth that which vouid work fur the benefit the nation, and should therefore become a treaty. a iaw, or concession. and. again, expose 8 ihre catching measures which, If adopted, would prove fallGcy.
 s serinus mistake. a producer of disaster a national calamity.
 And in no time and ib no place is the power of the press productive Of more immediate material benefit tbaD as the companion sDd mouthpiece of the pio- neer; a handful of men penetrate into regions heretofore unknown; unoauuiei they climb over mountain passes, ford mountain torrents. exposed 70 hunger. thirst, fstiRue. ard Ehe iDolemCncy Of
 the weather. They penetrate the bow
 els of the earth md bring forth inc sh,- ny precious metals; they begln Co cuiil-
 vste the virgin soil. which recompeTses
 their labor tenfold, they find genial
 climate and settle down. s happy md contented people. and soon appears
 among them a newspaper man." B,s
 struggles are hard Bt tine beginning, Ec
 Is editor. printor. devil-all in one. The
 town begins to grow. the paper of the
 httle mining can p spreads to others. the
 community is pleased, and send copies
 of the paper broadcast over the land; others come. and soon the whole country around is dotted with settlements the